Star Wars: Knight Errant: Deluge, a comic miniseries, is the second installment in the Star Wars: Knight Errant comic book saga. Set in 1032 BBY during the Republic Dark Age, within the final century of the New Sith Wars, the narrative unfolds primarily from the perspective of Kerra Holt, a Jedi Knight who functions as a knight errant Jedi operating within Sith-controlled regions. This particular story arc centers on Kerra's journey back to her home planet, Aquilaris Minor, following the events depicted in the novel Knight Errant. She finds herself entangled in a complex three-sided conflict involving Daiman, a Sith Lord, Zodoh, a Hutt crime lord, and the Galactic Republic's Grace Command, leading to significant repercussions for the broader Grumani sector. The narrative also explores Kerra's relationships with Joad Kreel, a childhood friend, and Jenn Devaad, a Captain commanding a Republic starfighter squadron.
Deluge was initially launched on August 17, 2011, and its run concluded on December 21, 2011. Comprising five individual issues, the storyline was crafted by John Jackson Miller. Subsequently, Deluge was compiled into a single trade paperback comic edition by Dark Horse Comics, released on May 30, 2012.
Responding to a distress signal, Kerra makes her way back to her Sith-dominated home planet to execute a risky rescue mission... however, her arrival on the planet coincides with an ambush orchestrated by a Hutt mastermind! The confrontation with his invasion and a series of other unforeseen occurrences thrust Kerra's small-scale rescue operation into a dangerous situation. She needs to resolve the problems quickly—and, as always, on her own!
During the era known as the Republic Dark Age, various Sith Lords held sway over extensive portions of the Outer Rim Territories. Following its conquest by the Chagras Hegemony in 1042 BBY, the planet Aquilaris Minor situated within the Grumani sector, fell under the rule of a succession of Sith rulers. By 1032 BBY, Daiman had established himself as the ruler of Aquilaris, exploiting its marine resources. Aquilaris also happened to be the native world of Kerra Holt, a Jedi Knight who dedicated herself to a knight errant's mission of fighting against the Sith. Answering a distress call from the Seacroppers' Guild, Kerra returned to her homeworld, only to find that it was under invasion by the forces of Zodoh, a Hutt crime lord and a new power player in the Grumani sector.
During the initial onslaught, Zodoh's forces swiftly overwhelmed Daiman's weak defenses. Amidst the chaos of battle, Kerra infiltrated the spaceport at Capital Cay concealed within a food transport, eliminating the Daimanate garrison commander. She arrived at the Seacroppers' dormitory, where she encountered Padgett, an elderly man, and Joad Kreel, her childhood friend, who had become addicted to Deluge, a narcotic spice. She soon discovered that many members of the Seacroppers' Guild had become affected by Deluge, rendering them apathetic and indifferent. Unable to persuade them to escape, Kerra also learned that the distress signal was actually a coded request for more Deluge. Meanwhile, Zodoh deployed a Stormdriver, a massive starship equipped with weaponized vaporators capable of extracting moisture from the atmosphere, creating devastating storms.
The Stormdriver unleashed havoc on Capital Cay's seaport. Kerra diverted the Stormdriver's crew by firing a blaster at it. Subsequently, Fire Lotus-class starfighters from Grace Command, a paramilitary relief organization affiliated with the Galactic Republic, destroyed the Stormdriver. Zodoh ordered a tactical retreat, while Devil Squadron occupied Capital Cay, where the local population welcomed them as liberators. Captain Jenn Devaad, the commander of the Devils, established contact with Kerra, promising to provide food and medical assistance to the population. Kerra felt relieved to have found allies in her fight against the Sith.
Meanwhile, aboard his fighter carrier Voracious, Zodoh used a hologram to issue an ultimatum to the local Sith Lords, offering to become their primary source of slaves and munitions if they agreed to collaborate with him against Daiman. He threatened severe consequences if they refused. He then conferred with Oon Garat, his advisor, who reported that the damaged Stormdriver had collected the necessary data on Aquilaris before being destroyed. Zodoh then instructed her to send a courier to Nal Hutta, the Hutt capital, promising that the Sith would be working for him by the time he had finished with the Grumani sector.
On Vellas Pavo, Daiman ordered his forces on Aquilaris not to surrender. However, Devil Squadron eliminated all Sith resistance. Kerra participated in this campaign, borrowing a Fire Lotus-class starfighter from Devil Squadron and shooting down a Daimanate starfighter. Following the battle, Grace Command began distributing food and medical supplies to the Aquilarians, with Kerra assisting in the relief efforts. Kerra also formed a close bond with Captain Jenn and learned more about Grace Command's relief missions. Devil Squadron worked in conjunction with Grace Command, providing a military presence in Sith Space to facilitate relief assistance to impoverished worlds.
In response to the widespread Deluge addiction epidemic among the population, Grace Command arranged for the evacuation of several severe cases on the transport Mother Grace for medical treatment on Alderaan, the headquarters of Grace Command. Devil Squadron also distributed time-locked food cases that would only open after they had departed. Joad, Kerra's childhood friend, was among the recipients. Kerra also secured a position within Devil Squadron, as Yades, one of the pilots, was rotating with the transport crew. While Jenn was enthusiastic about welcoming Kerra aboard, some of her crew, particularly Vahss, expressed concerns that Kerra would discover their secrets. However, Jenn assured them that Kerra, being a "product" of Vannar Treece, would be too focused on the mission to notice anything suspicious and would never need to know the truth. However, Joad overheard their conversation and attempted to warn Kerra, but she still believed he was under the influence of the spice.
After escorting Mother Grace to its hyperspace jump point, Devil Squadron encountered Zodoh's Intruder-class starfighter, leading them on a reckless pursuit. Despite Kerra's calls for caution, Jenn sought revenge against Zodoh for the harsh treatment she and her crew had endured during their captivity under the Hutt. Devil Squadron subsequently fell into a trap and was attacked by Zodoh's fighter-carrier Voracious and Intruder starfighters. At that moment, a fleet of Stormdrivers emerged from hyperspace, and Zodoh announced his intention to create an artificial global flood on Aquilaris Minor via the intercom. Zodoh also boasted about his plans to subdue his Sith rivals by using the Stormdrivers to flood their worlds.
On Darkknell, a significant portion of Daiman's military forces had become addicted to the spice Deluge. In response, he ordered the elimination of these addicts from his starfighter corps before his Sith relatives discovered the situation. Meanwhile, Kerra Holt disengaged from the dogfight and returned to Aquilaris, determined to save her people from the impending storm. At the conclusion of the skirmish, the remaining members of Devil Squadron were captured by the Voracious's tractor beam, and their crew were disarmed and taken prisoner. Zodoh met with Captain Jenn, who was also captive, offering to spare her crew if she agreed to secure the Deluge spice stocks on Aquilaris.
Meanwhile, Kerra attempted to organize an evacuation on Capital Cay to move the locals to higher ground. Kerra faced a daunting logistical challenge due to the limited number of airspeeders and boats available. Many of the Seacroppers remained in a drug-induced state, while their submersibles were in a state of disrepair. While visiting the submersible docking yards, Kerra encountered a despondent Joad and tried unsuccessfully to persuade him to assist with the evacuation. Out of frustration, Kerra kicked open a food container, only to discover that it contained Deluge spice. Kerra quickly realized that Devil Squadron were actually spice dealers who were deliberately distributing Deluge among occupied populations.
Kerra encountered Jenn in the spaceport, forcing several Aquilarians, including Padgett, at gunpoint to load containers of spice onto her shuttle. After overpowering and disarming her, Kerra confronted the squadron captain about the Deluge spice. Jenn revealed that Grace Command was actually a front for Lemayne, a Baron's Operation Deluge, which aimed to undermine the Sith war effort by flooding Sith-controlled space with Deluge spice. While it succeeded in weakening Sith manpower, it also affected entire local populations. Jenn justified her actions by stating that she wanted to save the lives of her crew. Jenn also revealed that her hatred towards civilians in Sith Space stemmed from the fact that civilians had refused to shelter her and other survivors of a failed Republic task force sent to Daalang. Unable to resolve their differences, Jenn departed on a shuttle with the Deluge supplies to return to Zodoh's flagship, leaving Kerra behind with the civilians.
Zodoh's Stormdrivers unleashed a global flood on Aquilaris Minor, inundating vast areas of the planet within hours. Kerra led a desperate evacuation effort, using her Fire Lotus-class starfighter to transport several civilians to higher ground. Kerra also encountered Joad Kreel, who had recognized the error of his ways and abandoned Deluge spice for good. Kerra tried to convince Joad to assist her with the evacuation effort, saying that they could escape this time. However, Joad replied that it was too late for that and plunged into the stormy waters, to Kerra's horror.
Aboard his flagship Voracious, Zodoh hosted another holoconference with the local Sith Lords, announcing his successful Aquilarian test demonstration. Zodoh intended to drown all of Lord Daiman's worlds, starting with his capital Darkknell. He persuaded the other Sith Lords to keep Daiman's forces occupied at the frontiers in exchange for becoming his trade partners in the near future. Zodoh also planned to use Jenn's supply of Deluge spice to synthesize his own stock. He would then lace food supplies with the narcotic as part of his strategy to weaken resistance to his conquest of the Grumani sector. Jenn then demanded that Zodoh release her crew, only to learn that the Hutt had killed them all by releasing them through the airlock into space. However, Jenn had a plan. She had rigged the food containers with time-rigged explosives and triggered a series of explosions that extensively damaged the interior of the Voracious. Jenn took advantage of the chaos to escape on a twin-seater Hutt starfighter.
Jenn's explosions disrupted the coordination of the fleet of Stormdrivers, causing the artificial rains and storms to cease. Meanwhile, Kerra had evacuated the civilians to Tarrah Hill, the highest point on Aquilaris Minor. At the last moment, a submersible crewed by Joad surfaced, and they evacuated the refugees to an underwater harvester station beneath the ocean floor. Due to the large number of refugees, the submersible had to make multiple trips. Padgett also offered the assistance of the Seacroppers in opening the sea tunnels beneath the harvesting station. By morning, Kerra's evacuation efforts had saved the lives of thousands of Aquilarians. Jenn located Kerra's submersible and reunited with her, revealing Zodoh's plans to flood Darkknell, a heavily populated world with billions of sentient beings. Determined to overcome their differences and collaborate to defeat a common enemy, the women departed on their twin-seater Hutt starfighter.
Zodoh's fleet of Stormdrivers invaded Darkknell, overwhelming the weak Daimanate defenses. The Stormdrivers swiftly flooded large areas of the planet, including Daiman's Sanctum Celestial fortress in the capital city of Xakrea, causing extensive damage. Despite the seemingly hopeless situation, with even his Sith relatives conspiring against him, Daiman refused to admit defeat, claiming that his universe "had vast resources everywhere and defenders no one would ever expect." Kerra and Jenn arrived amidst the space battle in their Hutt twin-seater starfighter and entered the hangar bay of Zodoh's flagship Voracious. Kerra infiltrated the Voracious, while Jenn engaged Zodoh's starfighter defenses.
Kerra infiltrated the control dome where the Stormdrivers were being coordinated. There, she was attacked by Zodoh, who engaged her in a duel. Unlike other Hutts, Zodoh was physically fit and enjoyed combat. Zodoh gained the upper hand and was about to kill Kerra when Jenn's starfighter attacked the dome, exposing the interior to zero-gravity space. After rescuing Kerra, Jenn fired a volley that destroyed the Voracious, throwing the Stormdrivers into chaos and turning the tide of the battle. Zodoh survived the battle but was captured by Daiman, who executed him in the presence of his Sith relatives, who were present via hologram. Meanwhile, Kerra and Jenn escaped back to Aquilaris.
By then, the floods were receding, and the planet was drying up. Kerra also reconciled with both Joad and Jenn. Under the leadership of Padgett and Joad, Aquilaris Minor, with its extensive underwater harvesting facilities, would become a refuge for those fleeing Sith Space to the safety of the Galactic Republic. Jenn also devised a plan to sabotage Operation Deluge by claiming that she had secured a contract for distributing Deluge on Aquilaris. She would then dump the Deluge spice into hyperspace and use the same transport to ferry refugees into the Republic. As a gesture of friendship, Jenn also gave Kerra her own Fire Lotus-class starfighter, saving her from having to hitch rides throughout Sith Space. The two women then parted ways, with Jenn returning to the Republic and Kerra continuing her knight errant missions into Sith territory.
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